As an Arcánús, one of Cupid’s blessed children, Amandus’s mission in life was to aid his father in bestowing love upon others.Unfortunately, when he found his own soul mate he was incapable of making her perceive their connection. Furthermore, she doomed their love forever. Amandus’s only hope is a spell concocted by Cupid: The Arcánús Amator: Spell of the Secret Lovers.

Hailey is desperate for love. She’s so desperate that when she finds a spell on the internet that promises to connect soul mates, she decides she must try it. Convincing her friend Hannah to help her, the girls embark on a one-night craze that will produce life-changing results and bring to life what was thought to be only a myth.

She frowned. “What the hell’s happened?” She was quite sure this was not how the spell worked. Granted, she hadn’t exactly read the entire information sheet on the website. “No one does,” she whined, bouncing on the balls of her feet while staring at the flickering flame of the candle. The thing was more than 20 pages long. It was like reading one of those software agreements. No one read the damn thing. She’d read the instructions and the first page with all the warnings and that was more than enough. Taking a deep breath, she managed to settle her nerves a little. Everyone thought she was the ditsy blonde obsessed with the occult, but she wasn’t. She was a hard worker, impatient when things didn’t go as expected. It was partially the reason why she’d filed through so many relationships. Why stay with a guy when he clearly had nothing to offer? Some of her friends argued that she didn’t give them a chance. She begged to differ. She’d given them a chance, they just hadn’t taken it. True, her impatience sometimes got her into some trouble but it also saved her from a lot of it. That, however, wasn’t the case now. Annoyed that the spell had gone awry, she brushed back her bangs impatiently. Whatever had happened was not important. The priority was getting Hannah back home. Scanning the room for her discarded laptop, she did a double take. Obstructing the exit to the living room stood the most gorgeous man she had laid eyes on. He was massive. His head almost brushed the top of the doorframe. His heavily muscled arms were crossed in front of him, his chest bare except for the intricate design of a red-inked tattoo that started around his left nipple and descended across his side to his hip. Low on his hips, he wore a long black skirt made out of what looked like leather. Hailey hesitated a moment before finally glancing fully at his face. Her breath stilled as their eyes locked. A clear shade of violet, they were not from this world. Swallowing, she took a step backwards without breaking her stare. The stranger’s eyes glittered with curiosity and amusement. “Careful with the center of the star,” he warned. Hailey stumbled and froze. His voice was deep and commanding and had a familiar ring to it that sent her senses reeling. Shaking her head slightly, she continued moving away from him. “Watch—” Breath exploded from her lungs as she crashed into a shelf, a few ornaments she and Hannah kept, crashing to the floor. “—out. Are you all right?” Hailey winced, the back of the shelf digging into her skin, but she nodded anyway. The stranger flashed her a grin that made her knees weak. Hailey swallowed. The urge to see him smile again clawed at her insides like a desperate hunger. Ignoring her, he glanced down at the pentagram, his silky dark curls framing his strong jaw and straight nose. “You don’t look like you knew what you were getting into.” Hailey held on to the bookcase behind her. She was afraid that if she moved the whole thing would topple over her head and she’d wake up, realizing that the man in the center of the room was nothing more than a dream. “Read the first page of the instructions and didn’t bother to read the rest, huh?” His eyes lifted to hers with a sassy smirk that lit up his violet eyes. Hailey stared speechless, the urge to touch the man making her palms itch as if she’d stepped into poison ivy. “Yeah, you never did care what you got into, Ariadne.” Goose bumps sprouted over her flesh and she released the shelf, rubbing her arms in an attempt to warm her suddenly chilled skin. Ariadne. The name rang in her ears like a long forgotten memory always running at the edge of her vision, just a breadth away from her grasp. “I—” No words came out as he carefully watched her face, almost as if saving every detail of her features into his memory. Her mouth felt parched, her tongue too large, as she searched for words that wouldn’t come. “Yes?” Butterflies danced in the pit of her stomach and her chest tightened, making it difficult to breathe. Fear mingled with a strange sense of joy. Names, places, and moments in time danced in the edge of her vision, taunting her to remember them, taunting her to say them aloud but fleeing before she could take hold of them. “My name isn’t…” The man raised his dark eyebrows, the shadow of a smile lifting the edge of his full lips. “I know.” “Oh.”

Defined as weird since she was about eight, Elyzabeth honors the title by making up songs about her chores, doodling stars and flowers on any blank sheet of paper and talking to her dog whenever he feigns interest. Losing the battle to the voices in her head is her favorite pastime after annoying her younger sister with her singing. Writing stories full of passion and emotion where love conquers all is her happy pill and she'll forgo sleep to make her readers live the dream.

Blurb:

By day a bear, by night a man. Half a century ago Simon Lancaster loved a woman. But when he committed a crime and was seduced by a witch his fate was sealed. Forced to live as a shifter by day and human by night, he becomes hopeless. He believes there is nothing left in life for him. That is, until he meets Margaret O'Hare. An unconventional woman, Margaret makes him feel whole again, but he doesn't know if he can allow the walls he has erected around his heart to lower, no matter how much he grows to care for her. As their time together has them becoming closer, he starts to trust and love again. But a happily ever after might not be in Simon's future as dark shadows emerge to destroy what he has built with Margaret.

BUY LINKS

He wandered through the woods. Head bowed down, nose close to the forest floor, scavenging for food. Then, he heard it. He froze. His heart skipped, then tightened in his chest before resuming its tempo at a speed that left him dizzy. Ears perked, he started ambling through the forest in the sound’s direction. He stopped. There it was again. Laughter. Loud, boisterous, so unladylike it warmed him from head to toe. He’d recognize that laughter anywhere, even if it had been more than a hundred years since he’d heard it.

Lifting his head, he sniffed the air. Rain washed dirt, blooming flowers, and people. His nose wrinkled slightly. He dropped his head. She was not among them. His heart slowed, beating like a sorrowful lament. She was not among them. How could she be? She was dead. He knew that. Yet—the sound of the woman’s laughter reached him again. A tingling sensation spread from his heart to his groin. Unable to resist, he headed in the direction of the sound, curious to see for himself the girl who had his late fiancées laughter but not her scent. He knew he shouldn’t be coming this way. There was a home nearby. He recalled seeing it when he first came to live in this area and vowed to stay away from it, but Evelyn’s memory kept him moving.

Evelyn. Dear Evelyn. Deep down in his heart, he knew it could not be her. She was dead. Killed by his own selfishness and stupidity. Killed by his desire for revenge. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. How many times over the years had he cursed himself for his lack of foresight? For his impulsive nature? He’d lost count. Evelyn was dead, and he was a bear during the day and a man after sunset.

He sighed. The loud sound resembled a growl and seemed to echo in the woods around him. Oblivious to his presence, the humans laughed and squealed, clearly enjoying themselves. Simon picked up his speed. Their scents wrapped around him as he got closer. Delicious. Enticing. Crashing through the thicket, he stopped, seeing them for the first time. Quickly, he hid, certain that if they saw him, they’d flee.

There were two women laughing and running about near the stream. How they could even move was beyond him for they wore long dresses tapered at their tiny waists and flowing full of ruffles to their ankles. They wore no hats, the offending garments discarded near a tree. He cocked his head, amused at the spectacle. Clearly, these were women enjoying themselves regardless of societal dictatorship. Their cheeks were glowing pink and healthy and water dripped from their hair.

The youngest girl looked to be 15 or 16. She had long black hair and a mischievous attitude that reminded him of a playful cat. He focused his gaze on the other woman. His breath whooshed out of his lungs. She was beautiful. Strawberry blonde hair trailed down her back and freckles dusted her arms. She laughed as the younger woman splashed water on her. Simon’s heart constricted. That laughter. The woman looked nothing like his deceased Evelyn, but she had her laughter. It was a sound full of unabashed spirit. Unable to stop himself he moved a little closer. He craved to hear her speak. How much time had passed since he’d spoken to another human being? How much time had passed since he’d been with a woman? The redhead was deliciously curvy and her wet summer dress did little to hide the fact. He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. Lust like he had not experienced in ages awakened inside of him and a bear-like sound burst from his lips.

Damn.

He stopped in his tracks and glanced at the women. They were no longer smiling. The smell of fear reached him. They hadn’t seen him yet or they would have run. He knew that. He’d lived it before. People always panicked at the sight of a bear. Besides, it was unlikely the women were alone. He scrambled backwards, eager to get away. There had to be others with them. Others that would hunt him and try to kill him. Strangely, the idea of dying at the hands of others did not appeal to him. At least not today.

“Wait.”

Defined as weird since she was about eight, Elyzabeth honors the title by making up songs about her chores, doodling stars and flowers on any blank sheet of paper and talking to her dog whenever he feigns interest. Losing the battle to the voices in her head is her favorite pastime after annoying her younger sister with her singing. Writing stories full of passion and emotion where love conquers all is her happy pill and she'll forgo sleep to make her readers live the dream.